Bad News Dont Know What I did WRONG!?

[johnychipp]

I just got a letter today after being in the application process for 7 months, it told me I didnt pass my oral interview so therefore im no longer in consideration for a job with SFPD. Thats it thats all it said!? i made it from 1000 on the written to 345 on BPAD video screening to 113 on the oral and my dream stopped there. Its really the only department I applied for and I get out of college in Dec. granted i took a part time job as a CO for this last semester but i want to be out on the streets and helping people there and SFPD is where i wanted to go. I dont get why they couldnt at least tell you what i did wrong to better myself from it? Anyways if any of you have advice or kinda they same story id like to hear about it.
Disapointed in South Dakota gona start looking fo rnew place to start the process all over

[Bodie]

If you said one wrong word or smiled at the wrong time or the officer doing the inteview didn't like your tie etc. You are out.

Why would you apply to only one agency and limit yourself to just one .
That's career suicide .............. Apply to at least 6

[MattG]

Come out to Vegas...we're hiring! Out of town testing can be done in a week. I tried out for several different agencies, LAPD, Henderson (local), and even LVMPD before making it with LVMPD the 2nd time.

I had 3 oral boards under my belt and knew the testing process quite well when I finally got hired. Plus I was 25 and had my college degree so that was more attractive to them as well.

Don't give up! If it's something you really want to do just keep going.

[sflcop]

Come out to Vegas...we're hiring! Out of town testing can be done in a week. I tried out for several different agencies, LAPD, Henderson (local), and even LVMPD before making it with LVMPD the 2nd time.

I had 3 oral boards under my belt and knew the testing process quite well when I finally got hired. Plus I was 25 and had my college degree so that was more attractive to them as well.

Don't give up! If it's something you really want to do, you won't.

I grew up in Vegas and would LOVE to work for LVMPD. Don't think the fiancee would go for it... and I've heard the hiring process is brutal... not to mention that even if you are certified in another state, you have to do the academy all over again.

[HCSO511]

when a department has 25 openings and 1000 applications they weed through applications and get the obvious screwups out first. that will knock about 100 or 200 out, they may look at trivial things like poor penmanship to cut out some more. when they get it down to 150 or so then they start looking into people a little closer. i heard the oklahoma highway patrol had so many one year that they had troopers walking around the parking lot looking for tags out brake lights out and little things like that just to get it down to a more feasible number of applicants. they probably didnt think there was anything neccesarily wrong with you but no department has the resources to look into a thousand men and find 25. if your heart is set on this city keep trying. i had my heart set on a town and couldnt even imagine wanting to work anywhere else. i am now nowhere near where i thought i wanted to be and i couldnt be happier. open your mind up and look around some. in oklahoma a lot of guys work a small town somewhere to get certified and get some street experience and then a large department will take a better look at them.

[johnychipp]

Thanks

hey guys just guess Im down a little and now im kinda thinking your right I need to apply with more departments I just put a app in with South Dakota Highway patrol because I have already taken and past their test also I took the advice and put in with LVMPD just to see if it would be possible. Well thanks for the advice and im gona keep putting applications in and in the meantime keep my corrections job and finish school.
Thanks,
John

[Medici]

Sorry, but get over it. You will have plenty more rejections to come.

[L-1]

If you said one wrong word or smiled at the wrong time or the officer doing the inteview didn't like your tie etc. You are out.

Johnychipp,

I have to disagree with Bodie. To avoid discriminatory hiring practices, most agencies use structured orals. Every applicant is asked and judged upon their answers to the same set of questions. In order to be non-discriminatory, you can only be scored on how close you come to giving what they have already determined to be an acceptable answer to each question.

Getting disqualified because you said one wrong word, or smiled at the wrong time, or because they didn't like your tie is arbitrary, discriminatory and wonderful grounds for a civil suit.

In all likelihood, you simply did not give enough right answers to get a passing score on the oral. Because of exam security, no one will tell you what questions you missed or what the correct answers were, as this information could be passed onto other applicants, giving them an unfair advantage in future testing.

[MattG]

I grew up in Vegas and would LOVE to work for LVMPD. Don't think the fiancee would go for it... and I've heard the hiring process is brutal... not to mention that even if you are certified in another state, you have to do the academy all over again.

Ya going thru the academy process can be brutal. We did have a lateral program but I think they are getting rid of that. If you are a cop now I can't imagine the hiring process being that brutal.

As I said they plan on hiring an extra 1000 officers over the next 10 years, not to mention what they normally hire...ast least from what I've heard and read.

[Medici]

Sorry, but I have to agree with Bodie on this one. If they don't like you for any reason they can and will pass on you.

Many departments have their next police officer picked out before the hiring process begin. My deparment, for example, told a Reserve Officer that he would be hired for the LEO job. They then put out a notice for hiring, collected 200+ applications, held oral interviews and did backgrounds. They still hired the Reserve Officer. Then they threw away the applicant list for any future hirings. Police Departments and pick and chose who they want.
So, you smelled or someone didn't like your tie. I don't see how you can fight that one in a civil court, bacuse in the end your interviewer thought the answers sucked anyway.

[omegaman]

Keep up the process, dont take no for an anwser

If you want to get into Law Enforcement. "Failure is not an Option" Their are alot of jobs out their, and LE can use all the help from college grads possible. BUt, dont forget, listen to all the good advice the others here have given you. Dont apply to one job, or have your heart set on one city, etc.. Possible to work for Dept. Home. Sec? Their are a ton of positions open. And, if you dont like the job, look at it this way. When your in (hired) you can always make a lateral move to another location. Or put in for trianing like alot of people do, then while at trianing change positions (location). Keep up with all the posts on the internet sites. Like for instance I was on the www.cbp.gov site and when I looked through it a little, I found the jobs section. Good luck, never say die!!! Unless it's to the person trying to kill you.

[scooterlee]

Take as many tests as possible!!!! Interview as much as possible. All the "practice" will pay off.

good luck!

[JLFINFAN]

I didn't get on with the department I really wanted. But I kept trying. I had an associates degree AND was certified. They still turned me down.

So I applied for 5 different departments all at once. And in my mind, I had them numbered by preference. Know which one hired me? The one I thought I'd least want to work for. Now that I'm there, and I've talked to other officers from those other departments, (and even interacted with some of them on agency assists) what I thought would be my fifth choice turned out to be the best department out of the 5!

[chicubs]

They may want to see how much you want it.

A lot of bigger city departments will reject first timers and see if they try again with their department. They want to see how much initiative you have and how bad you want it. So, keep going at it if it's your dream.

[EJP21]

Keep Trying

I worked for a police department in 1991 and 92 and was laid off due to budget cuts. I went to work in a differnt line of work. 2 months ago I decied I wanted to go back into Police work it is something I really enjoyed doing.I am now hired as a Police Officer and now getting ready to start back on the streets. Just keep trying becasue you will never be satisfied doing anything else if thats what you want to do. Good Luck